honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈä-nəst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: such as

a

: without cheating

counted the ballots honestly

b

: really, genuinely

was honestly scared

c

: without frills

food honestly prepared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't know

Synonyms of honestly

• frankly
• actually
• really
• indeed

Examples of honestly in a Sentence

Officials counted the votes honestly.

The bank has always dealt honestly with me.

I can honestly say that I have never seen that man before today.

He spoke honestly about the mistakes he had made.

She honestly believes that she has been mistreated.

Recent Examples on the Web

Realness and rawness Biles has openly and honestly shared her struggles with mental health since taking time away from gymnastics following the tumult of the Tokyo Olympics. —Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

Lemon Pepper Plane Train honestly seemed a bit much. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026

And honestly, what would accountability even look like? —Louis Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

But honestly, would anyone really notice if KEIB dropped talk? —Richard Wagoner, Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for honestly

• dishonestly

Kids Definition

honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈän-əst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: as

a

: without cheating

counted the votes honestly

b

: actually, genuinely

was honestly scared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't understand it